Week 13 Prompt Response

 

    I think a few ways librarians are able to serve adult patrons who enjoy YA and graphic novels is to a) know where they are, and b) create displays to promote them. I work in the customer service department at my library which means I work almost exclusively in the adult areas. Being familiar in general with the collection and where different genres are helps with not only the obvious issue of being able to direct patrons, but also hopefully making them more comfortable. I’ve had patrons come up to the desk seeming to be a bit uncomfortable or awkward when asking where genres like graphic novels or romance are. This could be because they are just nervous talking to a librarian, or because they are a little embarrassed to be looking for the book they’re looking for. By knowing exactly where the genres are that they are looking for, this can show patrons that they aren’t the only ones looking for these sections and reading these books.
    Displays are always a great, easy way to promote parts of the collection that may get overlooked by patrons. We have had a few tables that focus exclusively on children’s fiction or our teen collection and we also try to add some teen books to all of our tables to try and ensure that our tables are accessible to all our patrons, but also to highlight titles that would be overlooked by most patrons. As far as patrons not approving of the promotion of certain types of books, there are always going to be people who don’t like what the library is doing and who feel they have the right to police what other people read. I am of the opinion that they will say what they’re going to say and the library will keep doing what the library does and create a welcoming space for everyone and every reading taste.